From the lavish interior decoration which characterized the living areas of ancient sultans to the contemporary homes of the 21st century, Turkish rugs have always been appreciated as works of art and prized possessions. Turkey has a rich history in rug craftsmanship, and the predominant regions throughout the country have their own recognizable styles which are stamps of their rich heritage, artisan workmanship and uniqueness. Selecting a Turkish rug is like selecting a great piece of art, and if you spend your money on a valuable piece – you should treat it with the greatest respect. We all loved the stories about people flying on magical carpets when we were children. Well, maybe the Turkish rug won’t transport you between the magnificent houses of ancient Turkey, but it will certainly possess magic that will hypnotize you.

Although it is difficult to make an assessment of the exact time when rugs were first created, the historians believe that this type of art started its development in Central Asia, where people made carpets in order to use them as covers which would keep them warm during the harsh winter nights. These carpets were made by hand out of cotton or wool (sometimes even silk), and later people realized that their beauty was special enough to be displayed on the doorways, walls and floors. Interestingly enough, long ago carpet owners were already using rug pads for various reasons. Back then, rubber or foam rug pads didn’t exist so thick rug pads made from animal hair were used. Even back then, they would offer some combination of sliding protection and insulation from the floor, but they were not nearly as sophisticated as today’s industrially made robust, thick rug pads. The oldest rug known today is the Pazyryk Rug, which is estimated to be of Turkish origin, although it was discovered by a Russian archeologist in a Siberian tomb. There isn’t a doubt that Turkish carpets have a very rich history, and they have managed to maintain their status among the most desirable household items in the entire world.

You would have to devote your life to Turkish rugs in order to be able to learn how to recognize their classification, the period and the region their design comes from. However, we will provide you with the basics in this article. Undeniably, the most interesting form of a Turkish carpet is the magic carpet which is present all over the Turkish folklore. There are carpets made by unnamed artisans that possess a unique mystery, and the regions where they are made are definitely worth visiting. Magic aside, the most recognized and unique carpets come from Konya, Hereke, Milas, Usnak and Bergam. Besides the region where they are made, the Turkish carpets fall under other classifications depending on their material, the motifs and the weaving method.
Turkish rugs are known as very durable household items, but if your piece is antique you have to pay extra attention in preserving it. I would never equip my Turkish rugs with anything other than high quality thick rug pads, preferably made out of flat rubber. Low quality rug pads are known to damage or stain carpets and this would certainly be a disaster with fine Turkish rugs. You can use a traditional hand broom in order to brush the rug on both sides carefully and regularly; but you can also use your vacuum cleaner with a nozzle attachment on a monthly basis. Don’t use the vacuum cleaner without that attachment and more frequently, because your rug will be destroyed quickly. Machine washing or drying isn’t recommended for Turkish carpets, which should be maintained with gentle hand cleaning and drying on an undisturbed, flat surface. Your Turkish rug can stay beautiful for many years only if you provide the proper care it deserves.

You may have an old carpet in the living room inherited by your mother, yet the rug in the hallway didn’t survive to see the New Year. That is because there are many different methods for making them and not all rugs are durable and strong. It could also be the lack of an appropriate rug pad, or using an inappropriate one. Selecting the right rug pad is also a process and without a quality rug pad like flat rubber rug pads a lot of carpets are doomed. Many people think that buying a new rug will be easy and that is why they buy new ones every two years. If you know how to select the right carpet for the chosen area, you can have the same ones for many years and keep them in their original condition. There is a perfect rug for every room and according to your style and budget you can find the perfect one.

Every color you can think of can be used for making a carpet. Make sure the color of the rug matches the colors of the room fixtures. They don’t have to be the exact color but they should at least complement each other. The pattern on the carpet can also enhance the décor in the area. Geometric shapes, like lines and squares can make the area look bigger when placed right, while oriental patterns will make you place your attention on the seating setting. The fibers on the carpet don’t stay vertical and they take their own direction. So when you look at the carpet from different viewpoints, sometimes the colors will look brighter, while other times darker. If the pile of fibers is pointed directly to you, the colors will seem dimmer, while if you look at the carpet from the opposite directions it will look brighter, so be careful how you place it.
Just because you have bought the most expensive rug in the store doesn’t mean you can find the perfect placement. Kitchen areas for example, don’t need large carpets. You can place the rug in front of the stove or sink and that will be enough because those are the areas that require more warmth. Plus, it will make your kitchen look cleaner and more roomy. The dining room needs more planning and you can’t guess the size of the rug for under the dining table. You have to measure the space the chairs take when they are spread around the table, so you won’t have any chairs wobbling while you sit. The bedroom and living room are the areas where you can experiment with one or more carpets and achieve the layout you are looking for.
Every room has 5 walls, where you can show your style and good taste. A wall doesn’t have to be white and there are paintings and art mounts that can make your living area magazine-like. Designers say that the floor is the 6th wall in the room and there are many options to decorate it with a rug. Make sure you pick the most durable materials for the areas where there is frequent traffic, like the hallway. For other rooms you can choose different materials like silk, synthetic and natural fibers. As for rug pads, different carpets require different pads. Do not go for either the free rug pad given to you by the rug vendor nor the cheap urethane foam rug pads that can cause stains. Instead, see if you can afford some quality rubber rug pads with a density that matches your needs if you wish your carpet to stay in pristine condition.

When I told my husband how we made a big mistake by not installing the right carpet pad in our children’s room, he nodded his head and agreed with me in full, we lost a precious carpet which was an expensive gift from my mother for our wedding day seven years ago. If you are just a little bit in interior design you would know that those things are really expensive, they can range from $1.000 up to $10.000, depending on the quality. So, what did the children do? The things which all children do – running around, playing, stomping and so on. We thought that the rug would withstand that stomped for years, but it seems the hard floor under the rug didn’t agree with us. And we had to throw it away a few days ago. And that’s why I’m writing this article now, to let all of your freshly baked parents know what to do in your children’s room and in the hallways where you know that a lot of people will stomp on it.

YOU NEED SOMETHING BETWEEN THE FLOOR AND YOUR EXPENSIVE CARPET
The main passageway which is located on the front of the house had a nice rubber rug pad between the hard floor and our Persian rug, after 15 years the only thing which we need to do here and there was to clean it regularly, nothing new for a clean house. The rubber rug pad which was in-between protected the carpet, absorbed almost all of the footsteps and constant furniture relocations. So not only did it offer protection, it was and still is more energy efficient, it holds the heat better then the cold floor below it (if you don’t have floor heating). And if you have children upstairs, you should think twice about not installing one, why?

IT DAMPENS THE SOUND AND MAKES THE FLOOR SOFTER
Your first free Sunday this month and the only thing which you hear in the morning is someone upstairs running around, you hear each and every step, and then after a few seconds you can hear a cry, what happened? Your kid fell down because he’s a kid and kids run around, and as he fell down he fell on the hard floor, and now it hurts like hell. Well, if you had rubber rug pads in-between, you would be still sleeping and your kid would not have a mean bruise – because the rubber rug pad dampens the sound of little feet running around, and it is also softer for walking, so the kids can fall on the floor without any (bigger) bruises.

AND, LET US BE HONEST, IT MAKES THE KIDS HAPPIER
Did you ever see kids playing on soft flooring? Well, I have, they are more relaxed, playing and jumping around makes more fun, and overall as a parent I feel safer knowing that they can’t hurt themselves (that much). So if you are a fresh parent it would be smart to take a look at rubber rug pads which you can place under your expensive carpets, not only will your medical bills be smaller, the carpet will also be in a much better condition after a few years. Rubber pads are cool, use them!

With the advancement in technology, architecture has improved along with it. We can now construct buildings higher than ever before. Modern architecture allows us to make buildings in more and more, unique ways. Every house designed today is being turned into a masterpiece. While designing houses has become an artistic process, there is still a need to include functionality. Beyond a certain point, architects and designers cannot add comfort to living. This means that for every new home, there is a need to have custom made items; otherwise these would just not fit anymore. One of these thingsisa rug pad. Rug pads an under layer you install between your floor and the carpet. These pads provide many benefits to the user, which include noise reduction, insulation and improving the feel of the floor underneath your feet, protecting the floor from scratches and most importantly providing traction to the carpet.
In the modern home, angles are of the utmost importance; the commonly square shape and right angles have become outdated. Instead homes are built with spaces in triangles, circles and pentagons. This especially presents a problem when it comes to anything used to cover the floor, especially rug pads. The problem persistent to Rug Pads is that they come in very specific shapes and sizes. They come in squares ranging from 8’ x10’ to 9’x12’ which is a very limited size range. Oftentimes carpets can be smaller than the rug pads. This means that you will have to cut the rug pad to meet your speci fic needs. Another problem with the shape of the rug pad is that you sometimes have to match them to the shape of the house, for example at the edge of round walls. All these issues are faced by people when layering their carpets and floors with rug pads.
Cutting rug pads to a specific shape can be very tricky. The pads themselves have a very thick rubber material, which is hard to cut. To ensure that you do not ruin the rug pad, there are steps you have to follow. A rug pad can be anywhere from half inch to an inch thick while a DuraholdRug Pad is somewhere between one inch to two inches think. There are companies out there that can custom make a rug pad but you will have to pay extra for that service. You can easily cut a rug pad at home if you follow the steps.
There are three things you need when cutting a rug pad:

• Rug Pad
• Measuring Tape
• Foam cutters or scissors
Instructions
1. The first step involves measuring the area of the rug you are going to place the rug pad under. Use the measuring tape to measure the rug across the length and the width. When measuring, you should not include any decorative elements such as the tassels; only measure the main part of the rug.
2. Lay down the rug pad on a surface and measure the length that you determined earlier and cut the pad across using either scissor or a foam cutter. Since a rug pad goes underneath the rug, it should not be visible from under the carpet. So keeping this in mind, make sure that you cut the rug pad smaller than the actual rug by about 2 inches on each side.
3. Next you need to cut across the width of the rug pad. Again, keep in mind that you need to cut the rug pad about 2 inches shorter than the width of the carpet.
4. Place the rug pad on the floor where you want to place the rug. Then put the rug on top of the rug pad, making sure to center its position.

Cutting a Durahold Rug Pad
A Durahold Rug Pad is slightly different from a normal rug pad. It is made from natural materials, which make it thicker and denser than other rug pads. This means that you will need a better foam cutter or scissors when attempting to cut a Durahold Rug Pad.
Cutting a Rug Pad for a Circle
A circle rug presents a problem when you need to cut a rug pad for it. The best way recommended by the company is to cut it in a diamond shape. Find the center of the circle and put a line along the width and the length of the rug pad, with the line running through the center. Next, use a foamcutter or scissors to cut from one end point to the other forming a diamond. Make sure you cut the rug pad about 2 inches shorter on all sides than the pad itself.

Conclusion
Cutting rug pads can be a tricky business. However if you follow some basic rules you cannot go wrong.

When you enter your house after a tiring day, the only thing you can think of is a comforting environment. You want to be welcomed by insulated floors and not slippery rugs. You wish to enjoy the bounce of the floor when you walk on it and not the creaks that only seem to rise with every step. If you have kids or you yourself have spilled wine or water on the hardwood floor, the impact will prevail. The hardwood floor will be damaged. If you spilled water, the floor will be raised abnormally making the hardwood floor look excessively worn out, pale and old. So how can you avoid such troubles? Simple, all you have to do is purchase a Durahold rug pad and let it do the protection. If your carpet or area rug ever ingests a fluid, a lack of a rug pad will result in your floor in totally deteriorating from underneath. This is why it is absolutely imperative to pad the mat. These Durahold rug pads can be used at home, office and even commercial setups. The particular decision is made when you pick the Durahold cushion with specific qualities and features that transform it into water repellent floor padding. This will help in cleaning your rugs and rug pads and maintaining them a lot less demanding.

It is the right choice
Its thickness is worth mentioning but at the same time it does not feel uncomfortable. Most importantly it is made out of such materials that guarantee no scratches from the outside utilization are created on the floor. Even tiled floors loosen up and become flimsy if they are constantly exposed to water. So if you wish to keep your tiles in place, all you have to do is get a nice rug and a rug pad with it. These will help in keeping your furniture and tiles in place for the longest time. Consequently if you are somebody searching for an additional consideration and security of your carpet, area rug and your floor, then the Durahold rug pad is the essential choice for you. You will get a long lasting, protected and new floor even after years of usage.

Get the protection which you need
Thick durahold carpet cushions are made out of complicatedly woven strands and are dense to the point that there is scarcely any air in them. This makes them less spongy and more bouncy; it is this ricochet in them that prevents them to ingest the water. It guarantees there is no entrance of any material, nor does it penetrate through to the floor. Most carpets, mats, rugs and their paddings are made out of cotton or some other comparable material. It can either be a characteristic felt and elastic non-slip floor cushion; such padding guarantees the one hundred per cent resistance to all fluid materials. This makes cleaning it and maintain it a considerable measure simpler, simultaneously it can be extremely handy. An alternate kind is the common elastic non-slip rug padding; this opposes water infiltration to an extraordinary level. However, if you have to choose between this one and the former, the former is a better choice. Therefore, if you have been fretting over the fact that your rugs or hardwood floors are being difficult to maintain, get a Durahold rug pad and allow it to protect it for you.

I bet that when a carpet owner is looking to buy a rug, care and cleaning of his rug pads are just about the last thing on his mind, if he even knows such a thing as rug pads exist. And yet, rug pad care is often just as important as every other aspect of carpet owning. A rug pad is essentially a sheet of protective material designed to offer benefits to the carpet and its user, so where does cleaning it come in play? Having to do that sounds like more of a drawback. The truth is, any time your carpet is face with the risk of cleaning, so is the rug pad underneath. This stands especially true for fiber rug pads, because liquid can easily seep through the carpet into the rug pad, potentially causing rot and stench. Even liquid you think is ‘good’ for the carpet, such as a cleaning soluble, can pass right through the rug in question and get soaked in by the fibers comprising the rug pad, easily leading to mold with certain rug pads. How do you avoid this? Well, one route could be trying to go for rubber or foam pads only if you think moisture will be an issue. If you absolutely want a fiber rug pad, you will simply need to exercise a little more caution. As long as you properly dry the rug pad after cleaning, you are encouraged to clean it with water and detergent as often as you deem necessary.

More often, however, when thinking rug pad care you will find yourself vacuuming and dusting the rug pad. Dust and debris getting stuck in the fiber is not good and it can even lead to diseases if left unchecked. Next time you are vacuuming your rugs, make sure to grab a hold of the rug pads and shake them around to get rid of any dirt. If you clean the rug but leave the rug pad dusty, then put the carpet back on it,the carpet can become dirty again and have you wondering where it came from. Some pads will require not only shaking but actually vacuuming them as well as the carpet. Try to consult your carpet owner to see just how much cleaning your rug pad needs. Think of rug pads as extensions of your carpets: since you regularly care for your carpets it wouldn’t make sense to neglect its rug pad, especially when it can threaten the carpet’s condition as well. When vacuuming the rug and the rug pad, do not leave the rug pad on the floor as there can be just as much dust and dirt between the rug pad and the floor. So, make sure to lift the rug pad and vacuum the floor, even cleaning the floor with water if necessary. In time, you will realize that rug pad care is no different than carpet care, and your carpets will thank you for not having to suffer above unkept rug pads.

Making the decision to add a unique touch to your room with the presence of an area rug is usually always a sound one. However, we find it’s best to start off by asking yourself a question we deem important in the quest for area rugs: do I want a specific functionality to my area rug, or is it primarily a decoration? Whichever the answer, materials will be something to keep in mind, as your functional rug is probably absorbing a lot of traffic and with it, a lot of dirt. All of this can really add up if you picked the wrong material. On the other hand, if you are aiming for your carpet to offer little more than visual stimulation, you are free to pick all the finest, hand-woven carpets that are so rarely easy on the pocket. Because it is an area rug, you can choose where to place it to avoid traffic, and with it dirt and stains, and even furniture marks that threaten to ruin your rug. Owners of full room rugs will always recall how hard or impossible it was to avoid furniture marks on their carpets. Well, with an area rug, you are encouraged to do just that. If your area rug is indeed getting a lot of traffic, sliding can be an issue and even cause painful accidents, but this is entirely preventable by the right choice of padding. Even if the floor surface contributes to the sliding, with the right rug pad ultimately that won’t matter. What about price? Are area rugs really less expensive than the ones covering entire rooms? Well, the truth is that while area rugs are often much smaller, they are also often the ones that end up being that expensive rug every friend brags about – antiques, if you will. Even if you are not into that, you can still come across some pricey area rugs enjoying that high price due to a distinctive design, usually hand-crafted and signifying a lot of hours placed into its design. One thing to note is the increased ease of cleaning an area rug as opposed to a bulkier one. With a larger rug, a serious stain, however small, often means cleaning all of the rug, even if most of it was pristine. But when an area rug gets stained, you usually aren’t cleaning too much extra surface, saving up on time as well as money. Most won’t consider this before buying a rug, only after they’ve witnessed the hassle of rug care. As you see, regardless of whether you are looking for a decorative piece or leaning towards functionality, choosing a more compact rug covering only a selected area of your room carries with it many benefits and few drawbacks. You probably don’t need a rug to cover anything else besides that empty spot missing something, or that high traffic area you’ve been looking to improve with a sturdy carpet.Since they come in all shapes and sizes, you will never have to worry about your exact needs not being met.

When it comes time to use a rug, and with it, a carefully selected rug pad, in your home, people have plenty of options. They are both practical and aesthetic: practical because they are very comfortable to walk on over floors, and muffle the sounds in noisy households as well; while aesthetic because rugs are often used as decorations, since they come in different patterns, colors, fibers and styles. If noise is an issue for you, you should, as any carpet owner, also consider the best rug pads for you. This protective padding can improve your carpet and comfort in a variety of ways. This is why choosing the best rug pads is often just as important as choosing the rug. You are the one who decides how to decorate your home, and that’s why you should stretch your creativity and imagination. Choose the rug that corresponds to your home décor, since the right rug adds color, design, softness and texture to the floor throughout your entire home. Most rug types are affordable, while others, like Oriental rug collections can be quite expensive. You must know what colors and size will enhance your room area before you make a rug purchase.
Most people make the same mistake thinking the most important element when designing a room is the wall’s color. However, most professional interior designers will tell you that the wall’s color is the last thing you should think of. An empty living room can be designed around a rug. Knowing the color of the rug, you can set the color and tone for the furniture and draperies, as well as the wall’s color. If your living room rug has a specific pattern with a specific background color, you should choose the same color for your walls. Light colored rugs will open up your room as they make the room look more spacious, while darker colors lend coziness. If your living room has soft and muted colors, you should choose a rug with brown or black border, especially if you have not used dark colors on any other place in the room.
Walk into any room that has not been professionally decorated and you are bound to notice some mistakes when it comes to the decorating. It is no surprise at all, as there are many rules for interior decorating. However, all those mistakes can be avoided by checking some of the decorating do-s and don’t-s for each room. No room is complete without the silky sheen, timeless warmth, and delicate and unique touch of a rug. You could buy a few accessories and pillows in order to compliment the color of the rug in your living room. Rugs, if chosen correctly, add the ideal touch when it comes to finishing the room in your home.
Decorating your home exquisitely and efficiently is of a big importance, and choosing the right rug plays one of the key roles. There are different types of rugs available on the market, including bathroom, contemporary, and traditional styles. As for the designs, you can choose between European designs, Tibetan designs, Italian designs, and many more. You need to do a thorough research before purchasing the right rug that will compliment your home perfectly. Your rug also protects the floor from damages and scratches, which is also of a big importance considering the fact that you have probably invested big money upon your floor. However, the rug can get damaged over time, which is why you will want to get some rug pads as protection if you feel there is danger of damage to the rug. Choosing the best rug pads might take a while because of the various materials used, but you are done with that, you are free to pick a rug that compliments your home efficiently so that you could get a sophisticated and artistic look.

Carpetry has improved in leaps and bounds over the last few centuries, and much of it has been automated to a mass production point.The best and most sought after carpets, however, remain those that are carefully handmade with thought placed into every knot. Aside from silk, another material traditionally held in high regard is wool. While the prices of wool have never been lower, woolen carpets still command a slightly higher price over their counterparts, in good part because of the difficulty that surrounds obtaining large quantities of high quality wool. Wool is not a premium material just for carpets, however. Wool rug pads are the padding equivalent of a wool rug. This does not, of course, mean that wool rug pads are to be used exclusively with wool carpets. On the contrary, most types of rugs can enjoy this fine material as their padding. Just like their carpet counterparts, wool rug pads are considered very eco-friendly, much more so than any other type of material you might encounter as carpet padding. Their biodegradability is a favorite among the environmentally friendly carpet enthusiast, and the absence of chemicals certainly serves as an added incentive. Usually, rug pads are overflowing with all sorts of chemicals and additives, starting with the liquid applied over every non-wool rug pad to prevent ignition. Because of wool’s natural properties causing the fibers to self-extinguish in the presence of fire, wool rug pads don’t need a toxic chemical applied to it that can often degrade the quality of the padding. Every year or so, sheep across many sheep farms are shorn for their wool. Their life in the countryside attributes to the finesse and quality of the wool, to a point where adding elements during production is avoided to preserve the natural elements. Doesn’t this feel infinitely more in tune with Mother Nature than gluing together scrapped foam pieces and dipping them into all those chemicals? If given a choice, and most of us are, who wouldn’t want to contribute to the environment by picking an eco-friendly solution while also protecting their home and carpets? After all, synthetic rug pads, especially those made with less quality materials, have been known to stain the carpets they are under by releasing some of the many chemicals they hold. You never have to worry about a similar scenario occurring with a wool rug pad, as there are no chemicals like that polluting your rug pad when you choose to get a wool rug pad. As previously mentioned, you don’t need to have a wool carpet to enjoy the natural comfort of wool rug padding. Wool carpets are possibly the cushiest carpets you will come across, and the comfort of their material very much translated to rug pads made from wool. Even if you weren’t willing or able to get a wool rug, you can still equip whichever rug you ended up getting with a wool rug pad and enjoy the woolen comfort from underneath it every time you walk over, or sit on, your favorite carpet.

If you are a proud owner of a Persian rug, then I am guessing you know its true value and you are doing your best to protect your investment, starting with the use of an appropriate and quality rug pad. However, these natural material rugs can often damage even though we maintain them with the best vacuum cleaners on the market or we clean them using the mildest carpet shampoos. In this article I will try to tell you a few tricks on how to stop the damage and prolong the life of the rugs. It doesn’t matter if the rugs you own are antiques, handmade or contemporary (industrially crafted), if they are produced using all-natural materials only, they are subjected to all kinds of exterior factors and influences, which can add to the premature damaging of the rugs.
One of the worst enemies of your Persian rugs is the direct sunlight, so if you want to protect the natural beauty of the rugs, you will have to make sure to protect them from being exposed to direct sunlight. If your interior décor does not allow this arrangement, you can minimize the damage by rotating the rug as often as possible (the best recommended rotation period is usually set every month, except for the summer, when you will have to rotate it every week). Nevertheless, if you own antique rugs or your rugs are woven using naturally dyed materials, expect that the rugs are highly sensitive and that the colors eventually will start to fade away.

Although you may find this as rather peculiar, you will have to agree that in every household there are frequent traffic routes, and if the rugs are being constantly on its direct route, these will make them predisposed to damage. Not all rug pads were created with a lot of traffic in mind, and if you get, for example, a soft foam rug pad, it might break down once enough people walk over it. On the other hand, something like frother urethane foam or felt rubber pads will fare much better in the face of high traffic. This is another thing to consider. Furthermore, if on top of the rugs there are some heavy objects, make sure to rotate the rugs as often as possible, as this will prevent creating wear patterns on particular areas. Another excellent way to prevent this is using dense rubber rug pads, as they prevent the creation of wear patterns. It’s important to make sure these rubber rug pads have enough density or they won’t do much in this regard. If there is one wear pattern created already, you can try and fix it by combing the area using a large comb. However, you mustn’t do this often, as the combing may cause even greater damage, so try doing it only once and then stop the procedure. In order to prevent significant damage, place a rubber or plastic pad underneath your rug, as this will keep the friction to a minimum.
The best way to maintain your Persian rug is to vacuum it as often as possible, and try using a vacuum machine that has suitable brushes in order to keep the rug’s fibers safe from pulling, wear and tear. The regular vacuuming keeps the fibers upwards, rather than being packed down. If the rugs get stained or dirty, try browsing the web for ways of naturally removing the stains and the dirt. The heavy chemicals can damage the natural colors of the fibers, so you may end up doing greater damage. I hope these little tricks will help you to enjoy the beauty of your Persian rugs as long as possible, as they are truly a piece of art and ancient culture.